Just Friends?
by TheBlackPanther6
Summary: No one believes that Ariadne and Arthur are 'just friends'. But they say they are. Do they really believe that though? They carry on being best friends, but it might just be more than that.
1. Chapter 1

Ariadne and Arthur had recently grown very close. So close in fact that people were starting to question whether or not they were 'just friends'. They had started to do almost everything together. They had private jokes that left Cobb, Eames and Yusuf absolutely clueless. They now knew to just ignore them. At work they'd even start talking about something completely off topic and come up with excuses to go over and talk to each other. Although somehow, they still managed to get their work done. It was now beyond the rest of the team.

Eames was fed up of it; he had to get to the bottom of this. He needed to know, on behalf of the rest of the team, what was actually happening with the pair. As soon as Arthur left to go on a coffee run, he grabbed the opportunity to start bombarding Ariadne with his thoughts. He had no time to try and subtly get the information from her.

"Please Ariadne, enlighten me. Because there is no way that you and Mr Point Man are just friends." She looked up from her work and looked Eames squarely in the eyes.

"Eames, I've been through this with you a million times, there is nothing going on with me and Arthur." The look on his face read 'Bullshit'. "You know a guy and a girl can be friends without there being anything more."

"That _is _true Ari, but not _that_ close." Now that gave her something to think about. "Don't let him break your heart if he gets involved with someone else. You need to make sure that the two of you are in the same place."

"Don't worry about him breaking my heart Eames, because it's not his to break." Wasn't it? She thought about all the memories of her and Arthur. She came to realise why anyone else looking in would think that they were a couple, a very happy couple. They sure as hell act like it a lot of the time when they go out. In bars, guys don't even try to attempt to hit on her when she is with him, because they don't even pay attention to other people. Their attention is always on each other.

"That's not what it looks like. Trust me." He left with one last meaningful look in her direction. She looked down at her work; there was no way she could concentrate now. Her mind was reeling with thoughts about Arthur and their relationship. No, they were just friends. Who cares what anyone else thinks. It's their friendship. No one else gets a say in how they are with each other. And you know what? She wouldn't care if Arthur was in a relationship with someone else, he should go for it! He was an attractive man with a great personality. He could get any girl he wanted. So could she if she put her mind to it. They should both date.

That's it; she was going to find a new man. Maybe she could get one of the other guys to set her up. Scratch that, they don't have to know. She'd show them when she had a new boyfriend who would shock them by how in love with her he was. And she would love him back, she hoped.

At that moment the door of the warehouse opened and in walked Arthur, looking immaculate as always.

His eyes went straight to Ariadne and noticed her deep in thought, although not doing her work. He looked over to the other men to see if any of them noticed this. Eames glanced at Ariadne and back at Arthur, raising his eyebrow at him.

Eames must have said something to her, and she was now pretending to not make it look like it bothered her. But Arthur could read through the lines. He was now intrigued as to what Eames had said, he would have gone over and asked her, but Eames had a look on his face that stopped him from doing so. He would find out though.

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><p>That night, Ariadne decided to go out to find herself a guy, she had brought along her friend, Christina, as her right hand girl. Although she was now sitting at the bar alone because her so called friend had decided to go and make out with a guy she'd only just met. Even though that is sort of what she had planned on doing.<p>

Waiting for a good guy to come along, she wondered if this really was a good idea. Ariadne knew she was only really doing it to prove a point that she hadn't got her heart set on just Arthur. This was all Eames' fault.

Just then, someone sat down at the bar next to her and she looked up at the guy. He was probably late-thirties, too old for her. Considering she was only twenty-five. He ordered a drink from the barman and then turned to her. "And she will have the same again, on me."

"No, it's fine. Thank you." This was a bad idea, she wanted to leave.

"I insist." She got a better look at the man, he wasn't the most attractive man in the world let's just put it that way. He had chestnut brown hair that looked like it was slowly receding; he was wearing a suit that looked like it had previously been owned by an elderly man who had smoked a pipe so much that the ash had burnt holes in it; he was pretty grubby.

He held out his hand for her to take, which she ignored by picking up her drink. "My name is Sean." He didn't even look phased by her rejection to his hand.

"Great." She shouldn't have come here.

"You're not going to tell me your name?" She could already tell that Sean was an annoying person, didn't he get the hint?

"Wasn't planning on it, no." She looked around the bar hoping to see Christina so that she had an excuse to leave.

"Oh, it's like that is it?" Yes it is dipshit, mind backing off now? "I like a feisty girl."

Judging by his age, he looked like he would like any type of girl, because he obviously wasn't getting any.

"Yeah, well I'm not interested." This guy was actually starting to repulse her.

"Well then why did you come to this bar alone then? Everyone comes her when they're after someone." What to say to that hey?

"I'm meeting someone actually." What? Now what was she going to say when no one actually turned up. He looked like the type of guy who would stick around just to humiliate her. She felt like breaking something on his face, preferably his nose.

"Oh, is there a boyfriend?" If there was a boyfriend, that would be his queue to stop hitting on her. "I can work with that."

He looked like he didn't believe that she had a boyfriend. Which was totally true.

"Yes there is actually." She was just digging the hole deeper now.

Sean leaned forward slightly and put his hand on her leg, which she immediately removed. "I don't believe you. You wouldn't be here otherwise."

She leaned backwards so he was further away, she didn't even try to mask the look of disgust now forming on her face. "Get off me, jerk. Leave me alone."

"Sorry I didn't realise I was bothering you." How could he not?

"Yeah well you are." It was getting blunt now.

"I guarantee I can show you a better time than anyone else in this bar." That had to be one of the grossest things she had ever heard. Didn't he get the picture?

"Just stop, please..."

Then a new voice interrupted. "Hey honey, sorry I'm late." She turned to look at the person and Sean did the same. "Work was crazy."

He bent down and kissed her passionately. Wow.

She didn't quite know what to do at first but then started to kiss him back.

What was that thing that Eames said about Arthur maybe liking someone else? Right now, it didn't seem so. But then again, he had kissed her once before as a distraction. She'd have to think about it later, because right now she was enjoying the kiss.

When Arthur pulled away, she carried on with his lie. "Oh no, it's fine. I'm just glad you're here now." There was a double meaning to her words that Arthur picked up on.

Arthur turned to Sean and said: "Thank you for keeping my girlfriend company."

Sean looked completely baffled. "Err... no, no problem." He managed to stutter out. He looked between the pair of them, confused. He obviously couldn't believe that she actually did have someone meeting her there, if only that were true.

Arthur took a hold of Ariadne's hand and she stood up, he led her out of the crowded bar and she gave Sean one last smug smile. He looked almost humiliated.

When they got outside she finally took in Arthur's appearance. He had his trademark slicked back hair, a three-piece suit which was no doubt designer; he had a smirk on his face which was absolutely adorable and his hand was casually in his pocket, as if the kiss hadn't even happened, whilst his other hand still held hers.

"Thank you for that. I actually don't know what I would have done." Ariadne was just about coming to terms with what had just happened.

Arthur laughed softly. "Don't worry about it. He looked like a jerk."

"Oh he was a jerk alright. If you hadn't of turned up, I think I might have thrown up... on him." She pulled a repulsed face.

He laughed again; she liked it when he laughed. "Well I think that definitely would have changed his opinion of you."

"Definitely." She agreed. At that point, she noticed that they were slowly walking towards his car.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home." He offered. She didn't even think about Christina, she knew that the girl would be fine spending the night sucking some random guys face.

He opened the door for her and she climbed in. He had a very expensive car, obviously. This is Arthur we're talking about. It was more than likely that everything he owned was expensive. After all of these 'dream' jobs, he had more than enough money.

It didn't take long to drive to her apartment, and just as they pulled up outside, a thought came to her head. "Hey, why were you at that bar anyway?"

"Because I knew you were there and I didn't want you to do anything you would regret." She sent him a questioning look. "I spoke to Eames." Aah, that hit the spot.

"Oh..." She had no idea what to say to him, she wondered how much detail Eames had gone into.

"And you know what? Who cares what anyone thinks of our friendship?" Friendship. Eames obviously hadn't gone into too much detail. Maybe a little more would have been nicer.

"Yeah, you're right." She wasn't going to let any of this stop her, Ariadne and Arthur were great friends. Just because she might like him a little more than he liked her, that didn't mean they had to stop being friends. "Thanks again for earlier, I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled at him and stepped out of the car. "See you tomorrow Ari." He replied.

Eames was right, she couldn't let her heart be broken if Arthur found someone else. She would just try and ignore her feelings.

She did say 'try', but that didn't mean it would work...

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><p>To be continued...<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Sorry it has been so long, I had major writers block and was super busy!

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><p>Spending the weekend with his parents would be like torture. Arthur's family was very nice and their home was more than welcoming, but all they ever did was ask about his love life. You wouldn't put Arthur in their family at first appearances that's for sure. But there was nothing he loved more.<p>

Arthur had received the phone call from his mother earlier that Thursday afternoon asking him, no telling him, he has to visit the following weekend. You couldn't say no to that woman. That is probably why Eames loved Arthur's family so much – Arthur had to do as he was told. The annoying thing was, they loved Eames back.

For some unapparent reason though, his mother, Lily, and his sister, Laura, where very interested in his social life. And on average, every time he visits they bring up his relationship status at least five times.

On his last visit it had all been going so well – they hadn't brought it up yet, surprisingly. Then suddenly he gets a funny text from Ariadne about how Eames had fallen over on an icy patch outside the warehouse. He had laughed out loud at the text, his sister had seen the caller I.D. and for the rest of his trip all they could talk about was this 'mysterious Ariadne'. The average of relationship conversation peaked that weekend.

That is why he was dreading this weekend. He could actually bet a lot of money that they will bring up Ariadne within the first hour of him being there. It was fine him talking to Laura about it, but as soon as she was with his mother or he spoke to his mother alone, they were talking about how they fit in with the family and if they have the right 'couple look'. He couldn't help but think that Ariadne was the perfect height next to him and they fit perfectly together. Arthur was not going to say that to his mother though, although she would certainly notice the same thing if his mother was to ever see Ariadne when his family visited him in Paris. He actually dreaded that day.

After what Eames had told him about his conversation with Ariadne, he wondered if there really was more than just being friends. He recalled what Eames had said to him.

"_I'm warning you Arthur, break her heart and you will be sorry." Eames had a fierce look on his face. "That girl is like a sister to me."_

But there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. So Eames' warning was unnecessary, or so he thought.

So there he was preparing his things for the weekend of hell. Arthur wasn't lying when he thought he couldn't wait to see his family, but he was lying when if he thought he was looking forward to the conversation his mother will undoubtedly bring up.

* * *

><p>Arthur's parents' house came into view and he pulled into their driveway. They had a beautiful house, after Arthur had finally been allowed to give them some of his job earnings, which they thought had come from a lottery ticket, they had decided to invest in something that all of the family could easily come back to. It was well worth the money.<p>

It was a sunny afternoon in France and once he had stepped out of the car, he walked straight to the patio where he knew they would be.

Confirming his thoughts he saw three people sat around a table, all three looking up when they heard him approach.

"Arthur!" his mother called out, standing up with her arms spread out wide asking him to hug her. She was a blonde woman who was in her fifties. Arthur thought that she was the nicest woman he'd ever know. She could probably get along with anyone, and when he thought about it, she would get along with Ariadne like a house on fire. Why he kept thinking about this sort of thing, he didn't know. It seemed Ariadne did this to him.

He hugged his mother and when they pulled apart she looked behind him and then back at him, looking disappointed. "You didn't bring anyone?"

"No mom, I didn't. Don't look too disappointed." He replied sarcastically. He knew what she was doing. She wanted him to tell her that he was so in love with the 'mysterious Ariadne', who always texted him when he was away, and that they were together and how excited he was for them to meet each other. Not going to happen. He can tell her that now.

"Oh Arthur." She said almost sympathetically, what was that supposed to mean? He decided to ignore her as kindly as possible and turned towards his sister. He hugged her and shook his Dads hand after some 'hellos' and they spent the rest of the afternoon catching up.

His mother only once brought up the topic of Ariadne; she was trying to find out how he knew her. She was trying to be subtle by asking how his friends were and started talking about 'that girl who was talking about the Eames boy' and how she was. It was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

><p>After a near miss with his mother talking about the neighbours' son who was Arthur's age that was getting married, he went to his room to get ready for bed. All he could think about was what Ariadne was doing right at that moment; maybe she was on a date. He didn't want to think about that. She wouldn't do that to him. They had something... special. How cheesy. He'd never think in a million years that he would ever feel that way about someone.<p>

A knocking at the door interrupted his thoughts and Laura walked in. "Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey." She walked in and sat on the bed. She looked like she wanted to talk about something. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him; he had clearly disturbed the cogs turning in her mind. "What? Oh, yeah I'm fine." She continued talking. "You know you hardly ever visit anymore..."

"I know. Sorry. Work has been crazy lately." He didn't like to lie to them about his job. Lying to them was the hardest part about his job.

"I've been stuck here with them. All they ever talk about is you." She laughed. He looked shocked by this.

"No they don't." He said bluntly.

"Well they do a lot of the time. They miss you, we all do. Why do you have to be away so often?" Laura was slightly younger than him, but not by much. She was probably Ariadnes age. They were very similar in a way, both very caring people that never once think about themselves.

"You know you can come and visit." He went and sat on the sofa opposite her. It was a very big room so it had a lot of space to fill. It was painted cream, along with most of the house it seemed, and had the softest carpet ever. The bed was king size and there was a big flat screen TV on the wall, you could tell it was Arthurs room in comparison to the rest of the house. The rest of the house seemed more lived in.

"I know, and I will." She reassured.

"You could come next week?"

She thought about it for a second. "Maybe I will." He smiled at her. "How is everything in Paris anyway?" Arthur's family had moved to the Dordogne in the South of France after finding their perfect home there and Arthur had gone to Paris. He promised to visit as often as he could, yet still not very much.

"Yeah it's good. Cobb and Eames said hi." She smiled at this. Laura knew all of Arthur's workmates. She even went to the warehouse occasionally when she visited. She knew Arthur well enough to know that he wasn't being particularly truthful when he said he worked for a bank. She had picked up on the fact that it wasn't exactly legal. Laura would never tell their parents that though, not that they'd mind or judge Arthur, but it was probably for the best.

"I haven't seen them all in so long; they haven't been here in ages either!" Laura got along with everyone too, although none of his family had ever met Ariadne. The one opportunity, she'd been visiting _her_ family back in America. Ariadne didn't have any family in France, other than an aunt who she isn't that close to. Her parents died when she was younger. None of the team knew this, only Arthur, he'd done the research after all. Ariadne knew that Arthur knew, but they never once spoke about it.

"I know, Mom was saying that as well." He didn't seem too happy about this, probably because Eames was one of the team. "She said they have to visit as well next time I come."

"Good. If it takes them all coming as well for you to get here then so be it."

He laughed at this. "What have you been up to anyway?"

"Not much really, college and stuff. I ran into Mandy the other day..." She said with what was almost a smirk in her voice. He looked up, alarmed.

"What did you say Laura?"

"Oh you know the usual. Just how you're away working, you've been out a lot, you're new girlfriend and how you're making a tonne of money these days." She said casually.

"My new what?" He asked almost angrily, he could never properly get angry at Laura

"She was asking about you and I said how great you're doing with your new girlfriend." She saw the look on his face then added: "You know how much I hate that girl Arthur."

"So do I but I don't make things up to shut her up."

"Who says I made anything up?" She stared at him curiously.

"Laura..."

"No, no I know you said there is nothing going on between you and that girl, Ariadne was it?" He nodded. "But that doesn't mean you don't want there to be..."

He looked away and avoided her eyes, she understood. Laura was probably satisfied that she was right.

"Arthur, what is stopping you?" She practically whispered.

He looked up, sadness in his eyes. "She's perfect. She would never even think about going out with me. Not in a million years."

"That is absolute crap! Of course she would! I'm not going to lie to you Arthur, but they don't get much more perfect than you."

"I'm anything but perfect, you know what I do isn't exactly legal..."

"Didn't you say she worked with you?" Smart ass.

"Yeah but I just want to be perfect for her."

"You shouldn't have to be, if you're going to be with someone then you have to be yourself. And I'm pretty sure she likes you for you."

He looked sceptical. He didn't even know what to say. He'd never even admitted to himself that he liked her, and he'd just blabbed to his sister.

"Tell me about her." She said. "She must be good because I know it's pretty hard for _you_ to fall in love."

He didn't even deny that he was 'in love', because it was true. Normally he would have said some stupid comment back, but she was absolutely right.

"Ari is... she is just, great at what she does, you know? She doesn't seem to get anything wrong, and when she does she just laughs it off. I wouldn't be able to do that! She is like the most beautiful person I've ever seen, and the nicest. She is so caring and funny. Eames will insult her and she'll just say something equally as mean back and doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks of her." He was now lost in this world thinking about Ariadne, barely even noticing the presence of his sister. "She has all these little habits that no one else picks up on; like she picks at her split ends when she's bored, she taps her fingers on her desk when she's thinking, she has a weirdly large collection of scarves but yet she looks so great when she wears them and she bites her lip when she is nervous." He smiled slightly at the last one, because he thought it was so unbelievably sexy when she did that.

When had he noticed all of these things about her? It was new to him.

After a moment, Laura piped up. "Wow... You've fallen hard."

He then remembered that she was there and was worried he had said too much.

"Arthur, what are you waiting for?"


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Sorry it has been so long! Writers block!

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><p>Ariadne could hear footsteps. Someone was following her.<p>

She turned to the side slightly and could see the shadow of a man out of the corner of her eye. He was a tall man, wearing dark jeans and a hooded jacket; the hood up. She couldn't see his face properly because it was dark.

She looked forward in the hope that he didn't think she had spotted him.

Ariadne had gone back to the warehouse that evening after leaving her totem there. No one else was there, because the only other person that would be there at that time of night was Arthur, and he was visiting his family.

She sped up her walking pace wishing she could out walk him, if that were even possible. He was a grown man. She abruptly turned left thinking she could potentially lose him if he didn't want to look suspicious. Too late for _that_. He followed her down the next road. What did he want from her?

It was dark outside other than the very few streetlights dotted around. It wasn't a busy part of Paris. She looked at her watch, it was half eleven.

Ariadne hadn't even thought to take any weapons with her to protect her from anything. She had only gone to pick something up.

He was definitely following her now, and she didn't want to go back to her apartment so that the man knew where she lived. She took out her cell phone, wondering how stupid she was for not remembering it was there before.

She dialled the first number she could remember. After two short rings he picked up.

"Arthur." She said in a hushed tone. "I didn't know who else to call." He could sense the panic in her voice. "There is a man following me."

"What? Where are you?" He realised he had probably woken up everyone in his house from shouting that down the phone. He regained composure and carried on listening.

"I went back to the warehouse to pick something up that I'd forgotten. I'm like three blocks from the warehouse."

"I'm coming to get you." He declared.

"But you're at your parents house!" How was he going to manage to get to her in time?

"I won't be long. I'm leaving the house now." She could hear him rustling around with something, probably his keys. "I need you to carry on walking, okay? Walk to the nearest shop, restaurant, whatever. Anything with quite a few people in."

"Okay I will." Ariadne tried to be confident, but she couldn't help thinking she was about to get murdered or something. She stole a glance back at him. Still there... getting closer.

"Hey isn't there a club like four blocks away from the warehouse? Go there." She did as she was told. He stayed on the phone with her as she walked.

In the distance she could see it coming into view. The bright blue lights outside never looked more welcoming. As if the man behind knew she was going to a public place, he sped up his pace. For a small girl though, she was weirdly fast and by the time he would be able to catch up with her, she'd be at the club. Eames had even commented on it once; something about a midget being so much like wonder woman. She didn't feel like wonder woman right now, that was for sure.

Just to make matters worse, the heavens above opened, and very quickly, she was soaked through. She started running towards the club; at least it gave her an excuse to run away from the man.

When she reached the doors, she risked a glance back at the man. He was still following her. He was getting closer, and she couldn't help but take in his appearance. The shirt he was wearing underneath the hooded jacket looked oddly familiar, like she'd seen it somewhere before. She was probably mistaking it for some creepy paedophile she'd seen in a horror film, convincing herself that she was about to be murdered. But Arthur said he was on his way, and there was no one she trusted more to help her out in situations like this.

Ariadne walked into the crowded bar and headed over to a table that was no longer occupied as the couple who were previously seated at it where now making a hasty exit, practically sucking each other's faces. A barmaid walked over and asked her if she wanted anything to drink. She ordered lemonade, thinking it was best to steer clear of alcohol that evening. Ariadne kept her eyes focused on the door, waiting for the man to enter.

Just as the barmaid brought her the drink, the man walked in, the hood still up. "Wow, _he_ seems a bit of a creep." The barmaid said, noticing him too.

All she could do was laugh unconvincingly in reply. The man walked over to the bar, obviously trying to keep a low profile. He ordered a drink and his eyes swept the room. He pulled his hood down and looked over at the toilets. He hadn't spotted her and probably thought she was hiding in there. He got up and walked towards them. He took one last look back and walked in.

Ariadne knew where she had seen him before and the shirt that she recognised. She wouldn't forget bad taste like that if she ever saw it, especially if it involved small burn holes in it. Jheez, didn't he ever change his clothes?

Was he stalking her? She couldn't quite remember his name. It was something beginning with 'S'. Ariadne looked down into her glass and realised her hands were shaking uncontrollably. She needed to get out of there, quickly. Arthur better hurry up.

The 'S' man came out of the toilet, realising she wasn't in there. She had missed her opportunity to run. He looked like he had almost given up on finding her when his dark brown eyes rested on her. She looked away with one last shred of hope that the floor would just swallow her up.

Ariadne knocked back her drink thinking that the barmaid might notice she wanted another one, and it would give her a distraction to leave.

The deep, menacing voice came that she had been dreading. She wanted him to walk outside and get hit by a car. "Fancy seeing you here." Oh the irony! "I didn't catch your name."

There was a reason for that. "I'm not interested, I told you before."

"Yeah but I am." And he probably wonders why he doesn't get girls a lot.

The barmaid walked over. "Hey can I get you another drink?" She smiled sweetly at Ariadne. She didn't even look at the man.

"Yeah I'll come to the bar and get it." As hard as she tried, Ariadne didn't think the man would get any of the hints. The barmaid did. She eyed the man warily.

Ariadne read her name tag and it said "Beth". She liked Beth. They walked over to the bar, the annoying man following. "Stop following me you freak!" Her voice rose. She noticed it got slightly quieter in the club. She shrugged it off and returned her attention to Beth.

She gave her a look that said 'is he bothering you?' Ariadne nodded subtly in return. He was too busy staring at her ass to take a blind bit of notice.

Beth whispered something to the barman and he took one look at the man and said: "I don't want any trouble tonight mate. Stop talking to her or you can leave."

Ariadne suddenly remembered his name; Sean. She now hated that name.

Sean walked about two metres away before he stopped and sat at the bar, staring at her. She rolled her eyes. The volume of the club went back to normal and everyone continued whatever they were doing before.

"So do you know him?" Beth asked.

"He hit on me at a bar about three weeks ago. He obviously didn't get the message when a friend of mine turned up and pretended to be my boyfriend."

Beth got her another drink and added a shot of vodka to it. She obviously looked like she needed it. "Was this 'friend' realistic enough? Like did it actually look like he was your boyfriend?"

"Well he kissed me if that's what you're asking."

She smiled at this then asked: "Is he good looking?"

Ariadne had only known the girl five minutes and already felt like she could talk to her. "Extremely."

Beth raised her eyebrows and sent a glare in Sean's direction, who was still staring. Someone just give him a white van and a packet of sweets to start offering children and he will be your perfect paedophile. "That guy is a bit of a creep isn't he?"

"Just a little bit!" Understatement of the year. "He followed me here."

Now this was not what she was expecting. "Do you want me to call the police?" Ariadne noticed how she asked her and didn't tell her.

"I don't know. I'm sure my friend will sort it out." Ariadne stated.

Beth didn't seem to be fazed by this at all; she probably got people who didn't exactly stick to the law here all the time. "Have you told your friend?"

"Yeah I rang him when I realised I was being followed."

"He was the first person you thought to ring when you were in danger?"

It was a weird question. "Err... yeah?"

"You sure he is not just your 'friend'?" She laughed. Why does everyone ask that?

A warm hand touched her shoulder and she looked up ready to see Sean's evil face, but looked into the eyes of Arthur. Relief flooded her. He saw the relief in her eyes and she hugged him, then realised it was not the most 'friend' like thing to do.

"Hey are you alright?" He sounded quite panicked. Ariadne hoped he hadn't heard too much of her and Beth's conversation, she doubted it highly. He was probably far too alarmed for that.

"Yeah I think so." She realised now that at the mention of her 'situation' she had begun shaking again.

Arthur then noticed Sean. "Hey isn't he the guy-"

"Yep." She interrupted.

"Don't worry, we'll sort this out. I'll talk to Cobb and Eames." Not that he'd need help from them, he seems angry enough to take care of it himself.

She finished the rest of her drink, silently thanking Beth for the alcohol that she had put in it. Maybe it would settle her stomach. "You ready to go?" Arthur asked.

"Absolutely." She said to him, and then turned back to Beth. "Thank you."

"No problem." Beth smiled. Arthur got out his wallet to pay for her drinks. "Don't worry about it, it's on the house."

"Thanks." He smiled. Then took Ariadne by the hand out of the club after giving Sean one last glare. Beth couldn't help but grin at Ariadne, who only smirked guiltily in return.

His car was waiting outside and she climbed into the passenger's seat. He closed the door for her and she put her seatbelt on, waiting for him to get in the car.

Arthur drove (very fast) for about ten minutes before either one of them spoke. He was putting distance between them and the man in the club, in case he followed. She noticed this after he'd taken a few sharp turns that she was _not_ expecting.

He didn't know what to say, so she spoke instead. "Where are we going?"

"You can come with me back to my parent's house. It is further away and if he's been following you, he might know where you live, so it's the safest bet." He sounded like he'd already thought about this.

"What about the others?" Her voice sounded smaller than intended.

He gave her an 'are you serious?' look. "Didn't they tell you? They've all gone home this weekend. You're the only one that stayed in Paris."

She shook her head in response. "Thanks for the memo guys."

"I can't believe they didn't tell you, I'd already left when Cobb text me saying that they had decided they were all going home." He had an annoyed tone to his voice.

"No I was too busy getting followed by my stalker." She smiled sarcastically.

"What happened?" He asked seriously.

She told him everything, including meeting Beth, but missed out their conversation about Arthur for obvious reasons. She noticed that he gripped the steering wheel slightly harder than necessary when she told him that he'd started staring at her ass. They drove for a little while longer and she had started to drift off to sleep when the car slowed down and they pulled into the driveway of the most magnificent house.

He helped her get out of the car and she stopped in her tracks. She looked wary. "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"Are they expecting a guest? I don't want to impose..." Ariadne said, looking uncomfortable.

"Trust me; they will be happy to have a guest." Arthur couldn't help think that they'd be more than happy. Especially his mother, who he now noticed was waiting in the doorway with a worried expression on her face. She smiled at the sight of Ariadne and walked over to them quickly, her smile only increasing when she noticed his grip on her hand.

"Is everything okay?" Arthurs mother asked, concerned. Ariadne then noticed that she was still slightly damp from the downpour she had walked through; she probably looked a bit dishevelled. His mother didn't seem to care less and obviously noticed that something happened. She pried Ariadne away from Arthur and put her arm around her, leading her inside. "How about we have some hot chocolate?"

Ariadne liked the woman already.

"I'm Lily." She smiled sweetly.

"I'm Ariadne." Her sweet smile turned to a knowing smile, as if she knew who Ariadne was. Had Arthur mentioned her to his family? Turning to look at Arthur's slowly blushing face confirmed as much. He looked away, avoiding eye contact.

Maybe it wasn't going to be as bad as she had expected and at least she wasn't some _complete_ stranger to them. She wondered just how much Arthur had said...


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: Sorry it has been so long. I have been way too busy - but I'm already in the process of writing Chapter 5.

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><p>Ariadne walked into their house open mouthed. It was such a beautiful house. Arthur probably didn't pick up on this, however she <em>was<em> the architect. There was a grand staircase that led to the two upper levels, there were many doorways no doubt leading to lots of 'drawing rooms' and any other type of living room that you can give a fancy name to.

Lily guided her through the furthest door away that opened into a huge kitchen, equipped with every appliance you could imagine, which they probably didn't even use. Ariadne now understood why the guys always loved to come and visit this house, not just because of the company. She had always missed the opportunity to visit because she was normally visiting her friends or her own family.

She gestured for Ariadne to sit down at one of the bar stools and Lily began to make the hot chocolate drink. Arthur soon followed and sat down next to her. She couldn't help but notice how much like a couple they looked when he put his hand on the back of her chair and whispered to her: "You do realise that she will probably make you stay here for a week because you will turn out to be like another daughter to her."

All she could do was laugh. To be honest, she didn't think that she'd mind.

Lily placed her drink in front of her and gave one to Arthur. She drank one herself. "Thank you."

"No problem." She smiled. She turned to Arthur. "Now, Arthur don't lie to me, like you do already." He gave her a surprised look and she continued, ignoring it. "Do you really think I believe that _you_ work at a bank? You're too impatient for _that_ Arthur! But what happened? I think you woke up everyone in a radius of five miles when you shouted down that phone."

He murmured a quick apology and she carried on. "I looked out the window and there you were running to your car like there was no tomorrow."

Arthur glanced at Ariadne then back at his mother. "Well..." He didn't exactly know what to say. He could tell his mother everything, but it wasn't exactly his story to tell. Ariadne picked up on this and finished his sentence. God, it was like they were in sync.

"I was walking back from... where we both work and this man started following me." The expression Lily wore was horror. "I've seen the guy before as well; he tried to ask me out at a bar. If Arthur hadn't had shown up..."

She actually didn't know what she would have done if Arthur hadn't had shown up, either times. Ariadne couldn't help but think she'd be raped and murdered and anything else bad that could potentially happen to her. Her mind was often way too dramatic. Ariadne knew now that she would always be able to rely on Arthur no matter what situation she was in and wherever she was.

Lily looked approvingly at her son and he just stared into his mug. Ariadne almost couldn't continue the sentence, because realistically she didn't know what would have happened to her. "He started talking to me and trying to make me go out with him. Even when I told him I was meeting someone, he didn't care and just kept pestering me."

Ariadne's hands had begun shaking again which Lily soon noticed. "Come on dear, you must be freezing. We'll get you into some warm clothes and then you can get some sleep. You're probably exhausted."

She smiled gratefully at Lily and followed her once again into the hallway. The three of them walked into a room that was no doubt Arthur's sisters. Arthur had told Ariadne about her and she sounded great. But she was obviously not so keen on the fact that she was being woken up by Lily.

She stirred as Lily walked in and began rifling through the girls' wardrobe. She looked around confused, wondering who on earth was making that much noise. She saw her mother standing in front of her wardrobe and was obviously about to tell her off when she noticed Ariadne standing next to her brother. The girl looked back at her mother. "Can you please tell me what you are doing?"

"I am finding some clothes for Ariadne, and before you say anything Laura, she hasn't exactly had the best night whilst _you've_ been doing nothing all evening." Lily replied. Ariadne could see the cogs turning in Laura's mind and the realisation as to who she was clicking a moment later. Her expression immediately softened and she sent an apologetic smile in Ariadne's direction. Ariadne didn't mind though, she would have probably done the same thing if she were in a similar situation. Although Ariadne probably would have thrown a heavy object at the person disturbing her.

When Lily finally found some clothing she approved of for Ariadne, sweat pants and a t-shirt, she shut the wardrobe doors and them over to her. Lily looked at her and said: "Is there anything else you need dear?"

"No, no this is great thank you." She smiled warmly.

"I shall see you in the morning then, and I hope you are okay." She turned to Arthur. "Show Ariadne to the guest room and if she needs anything else then you will get it for her."

If Eames was here he would have loved this conversation because it consisted of Arthur following his mothers' orders. "Yes Mother." He sighed. "I would have done that anyway."

"Yes I know but I'm just making sure you do." How anyone could possibly think that Arthur wouldn't be a gentleman was beyond Ariadne. But nonetheless it was funny that Arthur was being told to, he obviously learned his manners from his mother.

She followed Arthur out of Laura's room, after saying a quick apology to her for disturbing her. They walked along the corridor and he opened a door into a magnificent bedroom. The room didn't look like any guest room she'd ever stayed in. There was a king sized bed in the centre of the room, a flat screen television opposite, a deep red love seat sat at the end of the bed, and there were doors, that were slightly hidden by curtains, that were more than likely to lead to a balcony. There were two doors either side of the TV, one to a closet and one to an en suite. The room was painted a natural colour which was the same as the bed linen and the soft carpet, although there were red cushions and decorations everywhere.

She immediately shut her mouth when she realised that she was gawking. Arthur bid her good night after multiple attempts of checking that she was okay. He didn't seem to take 'yes' for an answer. Arthur told her that if anything was to happen then she had to shout for him, although Ariadne didn't think much would exactly happen in his guest room.

Ariadne got changed and cleaned herself up from her disastrous night. She sat down on the bed and finally took the time to look back properly on what had happened. And then there was the other weird thing to think about. She was staying at Arthur's parents' house. Yes, his parents' house. If someone had told her that morning that she would be staying with his family she would have laughed in their face and told them they were stupid and should be referred to a mental clinic. But there she was...

Just as she was drifting off to a deep sleep, all she could think about was what Christmas and Thanksgiving would be like at this house. Her and Arthur together with a family celebrating the holidays. It was a nice thought, but her imagination could be cruel. Because Ariadne didn't think that such a thing would ever happen. She wasn't exactly the luckiest person in the world that was for sure.

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><p>Ariadne woke up to the bright morning sun beaming through the windows and the distant sound of talking somewhere else in the house. She sat up in bed and took everything in. She could get used to this.<p>

She slowly got up and after one quick look at her appearance, checking that she didn't look like a lion that had been dragged through a bush; she went downstairs to wherever the talking was coming from.

As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear Arthurs voice sounding annoyed and strained. "Laura, why would you do that?"

"Because it is funny and I hate the girl!" She laughed back.

Hoping it wasn't her they were talking about; she walked hesitantly into the kitchen.

"So do I but I wouldn't tell her something like that. She will probably come round now just to see, and it will be your entire fault." He tried not to laugh but couldn't contain it. So they were not talking about her because she hadn't exactly spoken that much to Laura since her late arrival the night before. "Oh hey!" He said cheerfully when he spotted her walking in.

"Hey..." Ariadne didn't know what to say to him, she hadn't thought that far ahead. Damn.

"I was just about to come up and see if you were awake." He was leaning on the breakfast bar whilst Laura was sat in the chair that she had vacated the previous night. "Can I get you a coffee?"

"Yes, please." She smiled. She walked over to where Laura was and sat down on the chair next to her.

"Arthur why don't you tell Ariadne what we were just talking about?" Laura persisted. He gave her a stern look as if to say 'drop the subject' and handed Ariadne the coffee. Ariadne was now intrigued as to who and what they were talking about. "Fine I will." He went to interrupt but she carried on anyway. "I hope you don't mind Ariadne but I told Arthur's ex-girlfriend that he had a new girlfriend; you. And she spoke to me earlier this morning, unfortunately, and so I said you had even come to visit. I don't think she believed me you see. By the way, I absolutely hate her."

All Ariadne could do was laugh nervously. She didn't really know what to make of the situation. She just hoped Arthur hated his ex just as much as his sister did. But if she were to come round like they had said before she had walked in on their conversation, it wouldn't be that bad pretending to be Arthur's girlfriend. She was certain of that.

Arthur looked embarrassed, which made a change. He started to shake his head. "Why do you hate her?" Ariadne was intrigued to find this out, mainly because she didn't want to make the same mistakes, but that was beside the point.

"Well..." Laura said jokingly.

"Here we go..." Arthur murmured under his breath, but still loud enough for the two of them to hear.

"She has to be _the_ most annoying person on the planet. After Arthur had dumped her he went on like a blind date thing, and she found out and turned up. She grabbed the girl by her hair and told her to stop hitting on her boyfriend and all this other crap. She was horrible!"

"Poor girl..." Ariadne joined in, it was funny to see Arthur's reaction.

"Why Arthur ever went out with her, I will never know." He nodded in agreement. "She is so fake, and has the brain size of a peanut. And the worst part; she walks around like she is all high and mighty. I just want to push her over."

As Ariadne and Arthur burst out laughing simultaneously, his mother walked in and looked at the three of them, completely baffled. "What are you talking about now?"

"Guess..." Laura demanded.

"You're talking about Mandy again?" Lily sounded exasperated. This encouraged more laughter and Lily continued. "That was hardly a relationship Laura; it only lasted for about three weeks."

"Three weeks too long..." Arthur said dryly.

"Yeah but she acted like they were a married couple. She would start telling him what they were doing and when, even if he was working. She would come in and start messing with his clothes and stuff. It was really creepy." Laura was enjoying this.

"I think she got too attached." Lily said to Ariadne. She was laughing at Arthur's uncomfortable expression more than anything now.

Once everyone had calmed down after the conversation, Lily looked between Arthur and Ariadne. "So what are you two doing today?"

"Well I thought Ari would stay here for a while because we don't know if that guy will have found her apartment. We don't exactly know how long he has been following her for. I will call the guys and see what we're going to do about it." Arthur answered for the two of them. He had filled Laura in on what had happened that morning after much persuasion from her.

"Well Ariadne, you can stay here as long as it takes." Lily said sweetly.

"Thank you so much." She responded.

"Cool, Ariadne you need to see the Dordogne." Laura declared. "You may call me your personal tour guide." She winked.


End file.
